Down The Rabbit Hole
by candycorn87
Summary: Kagome is lured into Wonderland, but when she returns she is diagnosed as clincally insane and dying. Inuyasha must now venture through Wonderland and save her soul from the queen of hearts, but will he return in time? InuxKag
1. Prelude

I DO NOT OWN INUYASHA OR ANY OF ITS CAHARCTERS. NOR DO I OWN ALICE IN WONDERLAND OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS.

SUMMARY: Kagome has been lured into Wonderland. But when she returns a few days later, she's not herself. Diagnosed as clinically insane, her health rapidly deteriorating, Inuyasha must enter Wonderland and free her from the Queen of Hearts. Can he get back to Kagome in time to save her? Or will she be lost to Wonderland forever?

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Down The Rabbit Hole

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Prelude

During the middle ages in England a powerful demon rose up feeding on the minds or sanity of human beings. She was defeated and chased away by an army of knights from all corners of England and the demon was never heard from again. But as time went on, people began to go missing, some said they saw them chasing after a white rabbit, but it was dismissed as nonsense. The demon the knights had chased away had created her own world frozen in time, in another plane of existence. To lure humans into her domain she sent out her minion, the white rabbit, who led them through wonderland. But there is a secret behind Wonderland. Wonderland is the Queen of Hearts and the Queen of Hearts is Wonderland, forever a part of each other. The world feeds off the human minds little by little until they reach the Queen. By then they are confused and can no longer tell the difference between fiction and reality thus the Queen is able to rob them of there minds, there sanity, without them fighting back. Once she has taken from them what she wants, she transforms them into creatures of wonderland, imprisoning them in her kingdom for all eternity. If she has no use for them or is betrayed by them they are beheaded.

Very few have ever escaped from Wonderland, one of them being Alice. But what those few didn't know is that Wonderland gets inside your head, and if you escape before you reach the Queen, that part of wonderland stays with you, turning into a virus that eats away at you until there's nothing left but a shell of the former you. Most of these people are transferred to psyche wards, rambling about giant caterpillars and talking white rabbits, where they live out the remainder of there days. No one ever took the time to listen to any of them, until Lewis Carol met Alice, thus Alice in Wonderland was created.

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AN: I added a prelude cause there are certain things that wouldn't make sense later on in the story if you didn't read this first. So, enjoy!


	2. Chapter 1

Down The Rabbit Hole

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_**All in the Golden Afternoon**_

_"All in the golden afternoon  
full leisurely we glide;  
For both our oars, with little skill,  
By little hands are plied  
While little hands make vain pretence  
Our wanderings to guide…"_

Kagome and her friends were sitting under an oak tree after a very boring first day of their field trip. Thinking back, it wasn't much of a 'field trip' as they had spent most of the time in the air. They had left very early that morning only to spend five hours in the airport waiting for their flight, the original having technical difficulties. When they finally managed to board the plane, things got even worse as they were surrounded by families with uncontrollable, very annoying children. When they finally arrived in Italy, no one was celebrating. The very slow retreat off the plane was to be followed by everyone running to get to the next plane that was to leave almost immediately for London. After finally getting seated in that plane, they flew the rest of the way to there final destination.

Now they were relaxing under the shade of an oak tree behind their hotel. Their hotel, originally a Victorian mansion, had a huge front yard and was very well maintained, made sure of by the landlord, Keitaro, a young man of medium stature with short brown hair, fair skin and big rimmed glasses. He was their to greet their small group as they arrived at the hotel and was the one who had shown Kagome and their friends to their room, they were sharing a room to save on money, the school had only granted their group so much to spend. Their room was very big, much bigger than her own and included a king sized bed, an oak wood dresser with ten different porcelain dolls atop it, a single chair in the corner and a closet, nothing more, accept an old painting on the far side of the wall. It was of a young girl dressed in a blue dress with a white apron over it, her blonde hair tied back in a ribbon. It seemed the only interesting thing in the room.

But it was what was behind their hotel that was truly amazing. The backyard was huge and included a field of daisies as well as a small stream that cut through the yard. It was beautiful and none of them wanted to leave. Kagome, now perched on a low branch of the oak tree, watched as her friends made crowns from the daisies in the field and laughed as they pretended to be royalty. But she soon became bored watching them play and decided to explore the property a little more. Jumping from the branch, she walked to the stream and followed it, humming quietly to herself. The whole place was covered in patches of daisies and she momentarily wondered what they would say if they could talk, seeing as she was trampling all over them, but was pulled from her musings as she saw a white figure run by. Following the figure she realized it was a rabbit. As she looked on she realized it was no ordinary rabbit. _Oh my god! A giant rabbit! _ Kagome thought as she saw the creature, about half her size, run on. _Oh my god! It's a giant rabbit dressed in people clothes! _And indeed it was. The giant white rabbit wore a red jacket with a yellow button up shirt underneath, an umbrella under one arm. Kagome, frozen in her tracks, could do nothing but watch the monster rabbit as he suddenly stopped and pulled out a gold pocket watch. Kagome's mouth dropped as the rabbit said,

"Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be too late!" then ran off into the trees. Kagome could only stand there gaping at where the rabbit had been, playing the scene over and over in her head trying to make sense of it all. Shaking her head and regaining herself Kagome pinched her arm, hard, trying to wake herself from the dream she was sure she had fallen into.

"Ouch!" Her skin turned red where she had pinched and was followed a stinging sensation that told her she was not dreaming. Then it occurred to her. _Why am I worried about a giant white rabbit?_ She thought, realizing she had faced demons of all kinds and had been nothing but brave, this time would be no different. She was going to get to the bottom of this. Once she caught up with the rabbit she would demand an explanation, either that or it would confirm that it really was just a figment of her imagination. Walking through the trees, Kagome was able to make out the white rabbit in the distance and ran after him, going as fast as she could so as not to loose him. Gaining on the rabbit, it jumped over a log and disappeared into a large hole in a tree. Kagome, so close behind the rabbit and not paying attention to her surroundings, ran into the log and fell over, the log being rather large, just above her shins, she tripped over it and landed on her face.

"Ow." Kagome rubbed her aching head and slowly stood trying to get her balance. Once she was sure she was fine she took a look around and found the hole the rabbit had entered. It was a big hole in a large elm tree that was big enough for her to crawl into on her hands and knees, so she did just that. Getting down on all fours she crawled into the hole and followed after the rabbit. The hole was dark and damp with thick roots lining the bottom. She had to be careful as she crawled as to not hurt herself. The dirt beneath her was cold and soft as she continued on. Small roots dangling from the ceiling tickled her head as she moved forward, but occasionally she would come to a thick root that ran from top to bottom, and probably kept going, causing her to have to move around it, which was hard seeing as she had only enough room to move but not enough to be comfortable. She contorted around these roots with much trouble, getting stuck once or twice. Other than that, it was a straight shot onwards for as far as the eye could see, which wasn't very far seeing as the farther she crawled the darker it got. The hole could end at moment and she would have to find some way to turn around and go back. After what seemed hours, but was really only a few minutes, she finally gave up and stopped, sitting back on her feet but keeping her head low.

"That's it. I give up. This hole just never ends." Kagome said to herself, then realized something she hadn't before. _This is a hole... in a tree. Why hasn't it come to an end? I should have been in and out in a second._ Sighing, she tried to turn around. After giving it her best shot two or three times she began to panic. She couldn't go back as she was stuck facing forward and she couldn't go forward either, well, she could, but she would eventually reach the end at some point which would put her back in her current dilemma. Panic rising, she tried to calm herself and think rationally. Sitting there, she realized she could just back track, she didn't have to turn around at all. A big smile formed on her face as Kagome began to back up.

_Finally I'm getting somewhere. _Kagome thought as she continued to back up until everything came to a halt. She could no longer go back. She had hit a wall. Looking back, Kagome could see nothing. It was pitch black, and she was stuck in a rabbit hole.

"Wh-where did this wall come from!?" Kagome yelled as she desperately kicked at the wall behind her hoping to kick a hole in it or something so she continue on her way, but it didn't work. It was thick and wouldn't budge.

_Shit! What do I do now?! How did that wall even get there?! It wasn't there before. I just came from that way! _Kagome thought wildly. Deciding that panicking wasn't going to help her in any way, she took three deep breaths and moved forward, realizing there was nowhere else to go. Who knew, maybe there was an opening at the end, seeing as this was a hole in a tree.

_I'm going to murder that rabbit when I get out of here…if…I get out of here._ Kagome thought to herself. Crawling forward she realized she had no one else to blame but herself and just as she felt that giving up was her only option, she fell.

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"Kagome!"

"Kagome!"

"Kagome, where are you?" Three girls yelled. Eri, Yuka and Ayumi had been looking for Kagome all night and the following day and were now at it again, Kagome had been missing now a total of three days. Police cars sat outside there hotel as police scanned the area while the other members of their school fieldtrip searched as well. "Kagome, please! Answer me!" Eri yelled, trying to stay calm as to not cause the others to panic, not that it would do any good seeing as they already were. They had been searching for the greater part of the morning and had no plans of stopping. They had to find there lost friend.

Meanwhile, a ways down the road, Inuyasha strolled along tracking Kagome's scent. It was hard seeing as the scent was three days old and fading fast, but as he looked up he determined that the scent was coming from the mansion up ahead, which just happened to be swarming with police. A knot formed in Inuyasha's stomach. He had a very bad feeling. Without a second thought he ran the short distance to the mansion and grabbed the first person he saw, which just happened to be Keitaro, and lifted him off his feet, a good inch off the ground.

"What the hell is going on?! Where is Kagome!" Inuyasha snarled. Keitaro visibly shrank in Inuyasha's arm, panic evident on his face. "Where is she!" Inuyasha yelled, shaking the man this time.

"Sh-sh-she's gone missing." Keitaro squeaked.

"What!" Inuyasha yelled. Keitaro's heart pounded, afraid of what the crazed man was going to do. "Where!"

"I-I don't know." Keitaro answered. Inuyasha growled and threw Keitaro to the other end of the yard through a tree and finally a mailbox and ran to the backyard towards the direction of all the shouting. Keitaro, now on the street, stood and dusted himself off thanking god for his invincibility.

Inuyasha stood on the porch in the back of the hotel watching the scene unfold in front of him. There were people everywhere, searching and shouting for Kagome.

"Kagome! Kagome where-Inuyasha!" Yuka yelled as saw him standing on the porch, very surprised to see him there. "How did you get here?" She asked, very much wanting to know.

"What is going on. Where is Kagome." Inuyasha demanded, getting tired of all dead end answers.

"Oh…I-I don't know. We were all sitting there, under that tree, when Kagome vanished." Yuka explained, her head down, waves of guilt emitting off of her. Inuyasha suddenly picked up the scent of tears and looked down at Yuka whose bangs covered her eyes.

"Hey…a-are you alright?" Inuyasha asked hesitantly. He couldn't stand it when Kagome cried either. Yuka's head shot up to show a blubbery, tear-stained face looking back at him. "Hey." Inuyasha stepped back. "W-why are you crying?" Inuyasha asked nervously. He couldn't handle girls crying.

"I…I…I MISS KAGOME!" Yuka cried, catching the attention of the other two who followed suit and began to bawl their eyes out as well. Within seconds, Inuyasha was surrounded by three very upset crying girls and he didn't know what to do.

Later on in the day, once the girls had calmed down and had taken a break, the three continued there search with new found determination. Inuyasha, who had been offered to search with them, looked on his own, letting his nose do the work. He started at the oak tree where the girls said they had been sitting and followed her very faint scent trail towards the stream and followed it until the scent of another mixed with Kagome's. Inuyasha's anger began to rise at the thought of whoever had taken her, but calmed down when he realized it was only a rabbit that had crossed her path.

_No harm could come from a rabbit. _Inuyasha thought, little did he know he would soon be eating those words. He continued on following Kagome's scent into the trees for a few feet when everything stopped and the trail ended. He looked up and saw he had come to a large elm tree. He searched the tree for a sign that she had climbed it and may have gotten stuck in the tree, but the scent stopped at the base of the tree and went no further.

_That's…odd. _Inuyasha thought as he began to turn around until something on the ground caught his eye. The dirt had been disturbed, there were distinct markings of handprints in the dirt, as if someone had been crawling. To make things even weirder, the tracks stopped at the base of the tree as well, as if the tree hadn't always been there. Inuyasha spent the next hour searching for a door of some kind, but to no avail. It was getting dark, and the search and rescue team was packing up for the night, planning to get an early start in the morning. Heading back to the mansion, Inuyasha was invited to stay with Yuka, Eri and Ayumi in the room, seeing as there were no other vacancies. Inuyasha had protested saying he preferred to sleep outside, the three girls gave him astonished looks and insisted he stay with them. Seeing no other choice, short of causing an uproar that no one wanted or needed, he gave in to their please and spent the night with them, the girls on the bed and Inuyasha on the floor.

"Hey, Inuyasha. You never did tell us how you got here." Yuka pointed out. Inuyasha smirked, thinking back to his unconventional plane ride. A picture of him on the roof of the plane flashed through his mind and he responded,

"I took a plane."

After a very quiet breakfast the next morning, the group headed out once again to search for their lost friend, Eri, Yuka and Ayumi together and Inuyasha by his lonesome. After a few hours of searching, the group took a quick break for lunch when Inuyasha suddenly picked up a familiar scent.

_Kagome._ Inuyasha ran as fast as demonly possible following the stream and entering the woods. He came to a halt as he saw Kagome sitting on a log as if nothing had ever happened.

"Hello." Kagome said. Inuyasha was overcome with joy at seeing that she was unharmed and obviously fine. But as he walked towards her, his happiness dissipated as he realized she wasn't talking to him. "Are you having a good day?" Kagome asked the pink and purple cat that sat in front of her.

"Oh yes, I am having quite a good day. The sun is shining and there isnt a cloud in the sky. And you? How are you my dear?" The cat asked. Inuyasha looked on as he heard Kagome answer her own question.

"I am having a great day. I've never felt better. Oh! Where are my manners. I never formally introduced myself." Kagome stuck out her hand. "I am Kagome Higurashi. And you are…."

"Cheshire Cat, pleased to make your acquaintance." The cat said as he placed his paw in Kagome's hand. Inuyasha could only watch as she shook the hand of an invisible entity.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha asked, hoping to get her attention without scaring her as she was obviously too occupied with her invisible guest. She didn't respond. "Kagome." Inuyasha said a little louder. Again, she did not answer.

"So…what do you do when you're not catching mice?" Kagome asked.

"I like to sit on the branches of trees and laze in the sun as people pass by." The cat responded.

"I wish I could laze around all day without a care in the world."

"Kagome." Inuyasha said as he grabbed hold of her shoulder and forced her to look at him. But when he turned her around he was faced with a very angry Kagome.

"Inuyasha! Can't you see I have a guest!" Kagome said, pointing to an empty spot on the log. "Wait your turn, I will be with you in moment." And with that, Kagome turned around and continued talking to her invisible friend. Inuyasha, watching Kagome converse with air, was, for the first time in his life, truly scared, and without warning, picked up Kagome, as he ran back to the hotel, Kagome yelling at cussing at him to put her down, grabbing the attention of everyone in the area.

"Kagome!" Eri, Yuka and Ayumi yelled in unison as they ran to their friend and, once Inuyasha put her down, hugged her tight and told her of how worried they had been.

"Where were you?!" Ayumi asked, taking Kagome's hand and guiding her into the hotel.

"What do you mean where was I? I was right here." Ayumi stopped and looked at Kagome.

"No…you weren't. You were gone." Kagome stopped, pulling her hand from Ayumis.

"What are you talking about? I've been here the whole time. I was sitting in the woods talking to that nice cat."

"Kagome." Inuyasha grabbed her shoulders to turn her towards him. "There was no cat."

"Yes, yes there was! Why are you all acting so weird! Why don't you believe me!" Kagome yelled furiously. Everyone looked at her with concern.

"If you were here the whole time, then where were you? Why didnt you answer our calls?" Eri asked angrily.

"I just told you!" Kagome yelled, stomping into the hotel. "First I was sitting on the tree branch with you guys then I got up and followed a giant rabbit dressed in people clothes into the woods then I was sitting on a log talking to a pink and purple cheshire cat! Next thing I know Inuyasha picks me up and now Im here!"

"Let me get this straight." Eri said. "You left our company to follow a giant white rabbit dressed people clothes, then talked to a pink and purple cat. Is that about right?"

"Uhhhhh!" Kagome shouted in frustrations. "Ill prove it to you!" Kagome yelled as she, followed by Eri, Yuka, Ayumi and Inuyasha, walked towards the woods. "See! What did I tell ya!" Kagome said, pointing to the cat on the log.

"Kagome...theres nothing there." Eri said.

"What?! Hes right there! This cat, right here!" Kagome shouted as she walked up to the cat and picked it up. But her friends only saw her cradling an invisible entity in her arms.

"Kagome, thats enough!" Inuyasha shouted. He couldnt take any more of her lies. Why couldnt she see that there was nothing there! Setting the cat down, Kagome shouted,

"SIT BOY!" And Inuyasha was dragged to the floor. Her friends all screamed as Inuyashas face made contact with the ground.

"How did you do that?!" They all shouted, amazed that Kagome had that kind of power over Inuyasha. But Kagome didnt care that they had seen it. She didnt care about much right now, too angry to care.

"Ill say it one last time. I was sitting on that log talking to that ca-..........whered it go?" Kagome asked to no one in particular. "It was here a second ago." She said, her eyes scanning the area around them for the pick and purple cat.

"Its okay Kagome. But we really need to ge-" Yuka froze as her face paled. As the other two girls moved to see what had caused such a reaction, there faces paled as well. Upon seeing what everyone was looking at, Inuyasha too froze.

"What? Why are you all looking at me? Whats so interesting?!"

"Kagome…" Eri said, "Your nose." Kagome gave her a confused look and reached up to touch her nose then brought her hand up to her face. Blood. Her nose was bleeding, and suddenly everything began to spin, the faces of her friends now warped, like something you'd expect to see in a fun house mirror.

"Why…why are you all laughing at me?" Kagome asked, but it came out as garbled nonsense as the world began to fade to black.

"Kagome!" Yuka yelled as Kagome fell backwards, Inuyasha catching her before she hit the floor. "Someone! Call 911!" Everyone scrambled to get Kagome back to the hotel until the ambulance arrived.

**

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Authors Note: Ok. I rewrote some stuff and added some stuff. Sorry it took me so damn long! Just been really busy. I'll be updating once a month. READ AND REVIEW! I'd love to know you think!

-Candycorn-


	3. Chapter 2

Down The Rabbit Hole

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_**All in the Golden Afternoon**_

_Ah, cruel Three! In such an hour  
Beneath such dreamy weather,  
To beg a tale of breath too weak  
To stir the tiniest feather!  
Yet what can one poor voice avail  
Against three tongues together?_

_**Inuyasha stood from the floor, stretching and yawning after a surprisingly good nights sleep. He was ready for another day, but as he looked around, he realized something was different. He was in Kagome's hotel bedroom, but the colors had been reversed, much like with the negatives to a picture. The blue colored room now orange, the yellow bed he had spent the previous night at the bottom of now purple. But that wasn't all that was different. The chair that sat in the corner was no longer in the corner, but instead, on the ceiling, as were the night stands and lamps as the dolls on the dresser with there once stoic faces were now sporting a very creepy ear-to-ear grin. Even creepier was that in the mirrors reflection everything was upside down, the ceiling was the floor and the floor was the ceiling.**_

_**But it was the picture that hung on the wall that caught his attention most. It originally depicted a young girl, now that girl had transformed into an old woman wearing that very same blue dress, white apron. Her hair was no longer blonde, but grey and her youthful skin now old and wrinkled. In the lap of the old woman sat a purple and pink striped Cheshire cat, grinning from ear to ear. Inuyasha had to admit, this was creepy, and as he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, he realized he was not alone. **_

_**Whipping around, he saw the door to the hallway, light shining around it from the outside. Walking towards it, he carefully opened it, wary of what may lie behind it. As he opened the door, he was engulfed in a bright light that swallowed up not only himself, but the entire room. Inuyasha squinted, trying to see something in the light, but as he stared on, a loud ringing began in his ears and it was getting louder. Shutting his eyes tightly, Inuyasha fell to his knees, placing his hands over his sensitive ears. It became so loud it was deafening as the pressure began building up in his ears and he thought his head might explode! And just as he could take it no longer, it stopped. Slowly removing his hands from his head Inuyasha opened his eyes and found he was no longer in the bedroom, but in a much smaller cement room. **_

_**Looking around him he noticed a small desk in front of a barred window, papers strewn across it. To his left he found a toilet, the bottom covered in rust. To his right sat a bed and on said bed sat a girl in a grey dress, her blonde hair tangled down her back. The girl sat in the corner facing the wall rocking back and forth humming something to herself as Inuyasha stood and began to walk towards her, but stopped as her image flickered in and out of transparency, as if not really there. Reaching for his sword, Inuyasha cautiously continued his short walk towards the girl but realized his sword wasn't their. **_

"_**Shit." Inuyasha cursed under his breath as he looked down to make sure he hadn't missed it. Returning his attention to the young girl he found she was right in front of him, her face centimeters from his own and fell over at the unexpected intrusion of his personal space. Inuyasha sat on the ground in front of the girl as she stared down at him, occasionally flickering in and out of transparency, unable to move as he was entranced by her. As she stood their, she began to grow older, her face getting older, her blonde hair getting longer and greyer until she was a spitting image of the painting of the old woman in the room.**_

"_**Inuyasha." The woman said, her mouth never moving, her voice in his head. "See I what you to show have." The woman said, but Inuyasha couldn't make heads or tails of what she was saying. But before he could ask, the woman was bent in front of him, her hand reaching out to touch him. Her hand on his forehead, he began to see pictures in his head, pictures of the hotel and a giant elm tree. **_

_**The pictures fast forwarded past giant caterpillars and talking flowers to a young girl stumbling out of a hole in that very same elm tree. Next he saw that same girl in a padded room sitting in the corner. The room gradually turned into a cement room with that very girl moving from the desk to the bed over and over again, sitting in the corner, standing by the door, lying on the floor, moving all over the room as her image morphed into that of Kagome's.**_

"Nooo!" Inuyasha shouted as he sat up in the chair he had fallen asleep in. His heart pounding and his body covered in a layer of sweat. The room was empty, accept for the two of them, and was deathly quiet accept for the sound of the heart monitor Kagome was attached to. They had arrived at the hospital yesterday afternoon, but she was already in a coma and there wasn't much the doctors could do about it accept keep her stable. They couldn't explain it, her being a coma; she was in perfect health. Her friends had spent the remainder of the day next to her bed, but had to leave at the end of the day, the doctor only allowing family to stay with her. Inuyasha, being her supposed boyfriend, was allowed to stay.

Now it was morning, and the sun shone through the window, draping across Kagome's hospital bed and illuminating an already shining, smiling Kagome.

"You're awake!" Inuyasha blurted in amazement. He and the doctors did not expect her wake up for some time.

"Of course I'm awake. Why wouldn't I be?" Kagome asked, tilting her head to the side as if Inuyasha made no sense at all.

"The doctors…they-"

"I know, the nurse told me everything." Kagome smiled. Inuyasha didn't understand why she was smiling.

"What…did she tell you?" Inuyasha asked hesitantly.

"That I passed out in the woods from extreme dehydration and you found me." The nurse apparently didn't have the heart to tell Kagome the truth, and frankly, neither did Inuyasha, at least not at the moment. She looked so happy, and it was a miracle she was even awake. He couldn't take that away from her.

"How long have you been awake?" Inuyasha asked, changing the subject.

"A few hours." Kagome said as her stomach began to growl. "I'm really regretting turning away the nurse with the food. I'm starving now!"

"I'll get you something to eat, wait here." Inuyasha said, as if she had anywhere else to go. He walked down many different hallways until he came to the cafeteria, but groaned when he saw the long line that awaited him. Getting behind countless patients and a few nurses, Inuyasha waited….and waited….and waited, until finally he was next. Grabbing a tray, he took a ham sandwich, some jell-o, a juice box, and some coleslaw then began the walk back to Kagome's room. The food smelled horrible, but it was all they were serving, and Kagome had a much lower sense of smell than he, so she probably wouldn't even notice. Walking into Kagome's room he noticed the curtain had been drawn shielding her half of the room from the rest. He assumed she had fallen asleep and one of the nurses pulled the curtain, but as he pulled it back, he saw Kagome was nowhere to be found. Setting down the tray, he began scanning the room, making sure no uninvited guests were with him, but instead, he found Kagome, standing in the corner facing the wall, her head down and her hair hanging in her face.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha asked, as he took a step towards her. She suddenly turned around, hissing at Inuyasha, her eyes wide and bloodshot.

"You can't get in without a key." Kagome said, her voice low and menacing, as if not her own.

"What?"

"You must have a key." Kagome said as her face began to contort in an almost impossibly wide grin.

"I-I don't understand."

Eat me, drink me…smaller, taller…it won't help you any! You can't get through without a key!" Kagome screamed as she ran towards Inuyasha, her arms stretched out ready to attack. Inuyasha stood firm and caught Kagome in his arms and held her tight as she struggled against him.

"Kagome! Stop!" Inuyasha yelled, still holding her tight to his chest.

"Keep running! Keep running! You'll never get dry if you stand still!" Kagome screamed as she continued to struggle, becoming so loud the nurses down the hall heard her and ran in to see what was wrong. One of nurses instructed Inuyasha to set her on the bed while the other ran out for more help. Inuyasha, still holding her tight against his chest with one arm, took the other arm and swooped it under her legs as he set her down on the bed, continuing to restrain her as the nurse, followed by two others with a metal cart, ran to Inuyasha's side. One of the nurses grabbed a giant needle from the cart while the other three held down Kagome who yelled "Keep running!" and laughed as they grabbed her wrists and ankles, pushing Inuyasha out of the way. Taking one last look at her, he saw her face was dead white, her eyes bloodshot red and her moth pulled up in a wide, creepy grin, laughing in the faces of the nurses who struggled to hold her down while the other inserted the needle into Kagome's arm. Inuyasha left the room, unable to take anymore. He couldn't bare to see Kagome like that. She wasn't herself, and it scared him. Taking a seat in the waiting room, Inuyasha allowed his thoughts to consume him and soon he was blaming himself for what happened to Kagome.

"Maybe if I had been more forceful in making her stay she wouldn't be in this mess. I knew I shouldn't have let her go!" Inuyasha muttered under his breath. Running his fingers through his hair, he bent over, elbows on his knees. "But there was no way I could have made her stay. I should have insisted on going with her, staying by her side at all times. I'm sorry Kagome."

"Ma'am? Ma'am. Please stay calm and keep your voice down. You'll upset the other people." The woman at the front desk said.

"How can I be calm when my Kagome is here and you won't let me see her!" Inuyasha looked up and immediately recognized the woman shouting.

"Ms. Higurashi." Inuyasha said as he stood and walked over to her.

"Inuyasha! Thank God! Where is my daughter?!" She asked as the tears she had fought against so hard finally began to fall. Her world was falling apart.

"She's in her room. I'll take you to her."

"Sir! Sir you can't go in there! She hasn't shown me any papers! Sir!" Inuyasha just kept on walking ignoring the woman at the front desk.

"How is she? I came as soon as I heard." Ms. Higurashi asked.

"She's….she's sick." He didn't have the heart to tell her what had just happened. As they rounded the corner they came to Kagome's room and Ms. Higurashi rushed to her daughter's side.

"Kagome!" She cried. Kagome had been heavily sedated and thankfully the room had been straightened up before they arrived. The bed was made with Kagome neatly tucked underneath. Inuyasha stepped out, leaving Ms. Higurashi with her daughter. He couldn't stand to look at Kagome, the guilt was too much.

"I failed you." Inuyasha whispered.

_Flashback_

"No! I won't let you!"

"You can't tell me what to do!"

"I won't let you go!"

"Why not!"

"Because! Because……I can't…I can't protect you."

Kagome's fiery eyes slowly turned soft and caring. She knew Inuyasha would worry about her, no matter how much she tried to ease his mind, he would always worry. He felt compelled to protect her, to keep her safe and out of harms way. She understood; she really did, but she was eighteen now, old enough to go to England on her own without Inuyasha holding her hand. She never needed Inuyasha to protect her…ok…so maybe she did in feudal Japan, but not in modern day England! There were no demons in her time, no monsters or mythical creatures that plotted against you. Just everyday people, she could handle everyday people.

"Kagome, please…don't go." Inuyasha begged. He needed her to stay. It wasn't just about protecting her; she was his addiction. He needed her like she needed the air to breathe. He couldn't live even few days without her. It killed him every time she went back home, it was like a dagger to the heart every time she left. How would he cope with her being gone for a month?

"I'm sorry Inuyasha. But this is a once in a lifetime chance for me. I'll never get this opportunity again." It was true. It was amazing she had even been picked what with her missing so much school. She had been picked out of her entire grade, among ten other lucky students (three of which were her friends) to go to England for a school fieldtrip. Her mother had already signed the consent form, her bags were packed and she was ready to go. It was always a dream of hers to go to England, and nothing, not even Inuyasha, could stop her. She hugged Miroku, Sango and Shippo goodbye, but when it came time for Inuyasha's hug, he turned away with his trademark 'Feh!' and watched as she jumped into the well."

_End Flashback_

"Inuyasha?" Ms. Higurashi asked. "Inuyasha." He snapped back to reality.

"Yeah?"

"I'm going to stay with Kagome tonight. Here is the address to the hotel I'm staying at." She pulled out her wallet and handed him a folded piece of paper and 20 dollars. "Here's some money. Go buy yourself something to eat. I'll see you in the morning." With that, she turned around and entered Kagome's room, closing the door behind her. Inuyasha looked at the clock. It was only twelve. What was he going to do for the next few hours?

~*~*~*~*~

"Hi! Welcome to Comfort Inn! How may I help you today?" A very cheery woman asked from behind a desk. Inuyasha had gone back to the hotel; he didn't know what else to do. He couldn't stay at the hospital, and he couldn't go back to the hotel Kagome had been staying at either. "Sir?" The woman asked. She wore a dark red dress shirt and a long red skirt. Her hair was tied up in a tight bun and she looked like she had dunked her face in makeup; there were colors everywhere. Returning his attention to the woman, Inuyasha handed her the paper Ms. Higurashi had handed him in the hospital. "Room 110. Are you not able to get in?" Inuyasha stayed quite. He didn't want to open his mouth or even breathe. This woman reeked of perfume, it was giving him a headache! "Did you loose your key?"

"Y-Yes." Inuyasha stuttered. He didn't want to be around this woman any longer than he needed to.

"Ok! Here you go! Your room is to the left!" The woman said as she returned her attention to the papers on her desk.

He turned around and turned the corner leaving the front desk behind and walked down the hall almost immediately coming to his room. Grabbing the handle, he pushed the door, but it wouldn't budge. Again he tried to open it, but he was unsuccessful. Dropping the paper and card in his hand he tried once more to open the door, but still it would not budge. Then he saw the card the woman had given him. She called it a key. It didn't look like much of a key, but he decided to give it a try anyways. Now he just had to figure out where to put it. He noticed above the handle there was a slot and inserted the card and the door clicked open. Turning the handle once more, the door finally opened and Inuyasha walked in.

To his left he found the bathroom complete with a sink, toilet and shower. He continued forward and found a bed, a dresser and a TV. Sitting down on the bed, Inuyasha laid back and as soon as his head hit the pillow, he was out.

_BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_

Inuyasha woke with a start, jumping nearly a foot off the bed and falling to the floor.

_BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_

He stood and ran around the room trying to find what was making that annoying sound, but it seemed it was everywhere, bouncing off the walls from every direction. He couldn't pin point the source.

_BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_

His ears were ringing and as he turned around he saw the alarm clock was blinking. In a fit of anger he smashed the clock with his fist until there was nothing left but bits of plastic. His heart was racing, he hadn't had a scare like that in decades! Then came a knock at the door and Inuyasha jumped at the sound.

"House keeping!" Inuyasha took a few deep breaths trying to calm himself as he opened the door and allowed the maid to enter as he left for the hospital. But as he walked, his nose caught the smell of something heavenly. Turning around, he saw the breakfast buffet and his stomach began to growl. Walking up to the woman by the buffet, Inuyasha handed her the twenty dollars so he could eat.

"No, no. It's free." The woman said as she handed him his money. Inuyasha's eyes widened as a smile formed on his face.

~*~*~*~*~

Walking into the hospital, all of Ms. Higurashi's luggage in hand, he made his way to Kagome's room. He, or rather Ms. Higurashi, had been kicked out of the hotel, mainly because of the spectacle Inuyasha had made, eating all the food at the buffet. A picture of him grabbing food with his bare hands directly from the buffet and stuffing his face flashed through his mind. It had been fun, until the hotel manager kicked him out.

"Everything will be fine, I promise." Ms. Higurashi said, trying to calm her daughter. Kagome was about to be taken in for an MRI and a few other tests to try and find out what was wrong.

"I don't want to go. Mom, there's nothing wrong with me. Why are they taking me away if there's nothing wrong? Look at me! Do I look like I'm sick? Do I look like I'm crazy?" Kagome asked trying to convince them not to take her away. "No! Mom! Please!" Kagome begged as the nurses rolled her bed out of the room.

"What happened?" Inuyasha asked as he set down Ms. Higurashi's luggage. She just gave him a look that said _I could ask the same thing._

"Kagome, I need you to lay perfectly still, ok? Can you do that for me?" The doctor asked. Kagome was lying on a board attached to a cylindrical machine. "This will only take a few minutes, so don't move." Suddenly the bed began to move up and back, her body inching closer and closer towards the machine until she was completely inside.

Kagome knew what this for, knew why they were doing these tests, the doctor had done a good job explaining it to her. But she didn't agree with them. She wasn't crazy. And she had no recollection of the episode she was told she had had the previous day.

_If I don't remember it, then it must not have happened. _Kagome reasoned, but was pulled from her musing when she heard a loud, deafening sound come from the machine. It lasted only a few seconds but to her it seemed like minutes. She couldn't move as per the doctors' orders thus she could not cover her ears. The blaring sound was so agonizing she thought her ears might bleed! Then it was over. Releasing a sigh of relief Kagome readied herself for the sudden movement of the board exiting the machine, but it never came. Instead there was yet again another blaring sound from the machine and as the minutes went on and the sound continued on and off she began to loose herself. The light around her began to fade and she had the distinct feeling she was falling, down, down, down through nothing but the black abyss that surrounded her. Her breathing quickened, she was scared. She didn't know what was happening. She couldn't see anything but black, then, objects began to appear around her, chairs, desks, cupboards, almost anything you think of, it was there, speeding passed her. She jumped when she heard another loud blare from the MRI but it too eventually faded away until only silence remained. But it didn't last long as she heard something echoing from below her, getting louder, and louder.

_Off, off, off, off._

It was getting louder.

_Off, off, off, off._

Then, it was all around her, someone yelling in her ears from all directions.

_OFF, OFF, OFF, OFF!_

She didn't understand. What did it mean?

_OFF, OFF, OFF, OFF!_

She screamed, but nothing came out; not a sound. What was happening? She yelled for help, but still nothing came out. All she could was sit there watching the objects pass her like speeding cars as the voice screamed in her head.

In the real world, the doctor had taken her out of the MRI and she was now being held down by three nurses as she screamed, fighting to get free of there grip.

"The gloves! The rabbit needs his gloves!" Kagome shouted. "He can't leave without his gloves!" Kagome shouted again as another nurse inserted a needle filled with a strong sedative into her arm. Kagome began to calm as she was transferred back to her hospital bed. But as she lay there being pushed back to her room she mumbled,

"_You are old, Father William…And your hair has become very white…"_

_Kagome's eyes stared out into space as she continued._

_"__And yet you incessantly stand on your head…Do you think, at your age, it is right?"_

_And with that, the sedative took over as she fell into a deep sleep._

_The next morning, Inuyasha woke up next to Kagome who was still asleep. Her mother had gone back to the hotel Kagome had stayed at, seeing as she couldn't go to hers. The sun was shining and it seemed like it was going to be a good day._

_"Inuyasha?" The doctor asked as he signaled for him to come out into the hall. _"I don't quite know what to say." The doctor said as he sighed. "She has all the symptoms of a patient suffering from insanity, but that's not what I'm here to talk about. I took a look at her MRI scans and what we found was…….disturbing. She has a large mass in the upper right side of her brain. We believe it's a tumor, but that's not all. I also took a look at the results of her other test and it seems that she has cancer. It's spreading through her body fast, faster than any cancer I've ever seen. I don't know what we can do for her. Chemotherapy is not an option as the cancer is spreading to fast and we can't do surgery, her body is too fragile. I'm afraid there's really nothing we can do accept keep her comfortable. I'm sorry."

Inuyasha's heart stopped. He couldn't believe it. Kagome was dying. Looking back into her room he saw Kagome lying there so peaceful. It was hard to imagine that something that horrible could happen to someone like Kagome.

_No. It's not true._

Inuyasha though. He leaned back against the wall and slid his body down until he was sitting on the floor.

"You're wrong! You're tests are wrong! There is no way this could happen to her!" Inuyasha said to the doctor, anger laced in his voice.

"I'm sorry, I wish I were wrong, but I'm not." The doctor said.

"Look at her!" Inuyasha said grabbing his shoulders tightly and forcing him to look at Kagome. "Does she look like someone who deserves that?!" Inuyasha yelled, letting go of the doctor and causing him to stumble backwards.

"I-I'm sorry." The doctor said then left down the hall, knowing there wasn't anything else he could do or say. It was up to Inuyasha to accept it or not. But as he walked on, he looked back to see Inuyasha on the floor once again, his head in his hands.

* * *

AN: I hope you like the chapter! Read and review! I always love to hear what you think. If there is anything wrong, you see any mistakes or something doesn't make sense, don't hesitate to point it out. I'll be updating my chapters at least once a month.


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